A group, Zazzau Indigenes Progressive Association (ZIPA), has threatened legal action against the Director-General of National Teachers Institute (NTI), Prof. Musa-Garba Maitafsiri, over alleged maladministration.
The association’s Chairman, Mr Ibrahim Ahmed disclosed this on Monday in Abuja while speaking to journalists.
He said the action to challenge the alleged dictatorial style of the DG in running the affairs of the institute, and seek justice over the unlawful removal of the acting Registrar, Malam Ibrahim Hamid, among others.
“The registrar was removed unjustly, because of the selfish need to install one Fatima Abbas Jega as Registrar.
“We have written a petition to the Minister of Education and copied the Minister of State, the Head of Service of the Federation, and anti-corruption agencies, among others over the destructive administrative style of the director-general,’’ Ahmed said.
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According to him, Hamid was appointed by the Governing Council of the institute on Aug. 9, 2021 as Acting Registrar and worked to the satisfaction of the entire staff when he suddenly removed.
“Suddenly on Jan. 12, 2023, the DG wrote a letter signed by his self-appointed acting Registrar, Fatima Jega asking Hamid to proceed on indefinite leave over a petition written against the management of the institute by a Deputy Registrar, Mr Obioha Ogunbuka.
“Ogunbuka’s petition was against the appointment of Hamid by the governing council, and since then Hamid has been on indefinite leave even before the investigation of the petition. He has been left with no details about his status in the institute.
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“We reliably gathered that a committee was later set up to look into the petition and all the parties involved appeared and the committee found Hamid not guilty of any issue,” the chairman said.
Ahmed wondered where the DG derived the power to send a registrar on indefinite leave before investigation.
According to him, there’s no provision for ‘indefinite leave’ in the Civil Service Rules, or having two acting Registrars in an institution.